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BSC nursing students earn 100 percent pass rate

Published: Dec 07 2018
BSC nursing students earn 100 percent pass rate - Photo
Nursing students in the associate degree Registered Nurse program at Bismarck State College (BSC) who took the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) during the 2017-18 academic year received a 100 percent pass rate. BSC has been above the national average for the licensure exam pass rate for the past 12 years.
 
NCLEX examinations are designed to test the knowledge, skills and abilities essential for the safe and effective practice of nursing at the entry-level. Students in associate and bachelor’s degree programs across the nation take the same licensing test. Passing the exam means graduates are now professional nurses.
 
“BSC graduates are well prepared for the nursing workforce,” says Annie Paulson, BSC nursing program director. “Our nursing faculty knows what it takes to produce amazing, competent and compassionate nurses and our students work very hard to meet the expectations and criteria. We are so proud of this achievement.”
 
BSC is among four North Dakota community colleges organized under the Dakota Nursing Program (DNP), a collaboration between BSC, Lake Region State College (LRSC), Williston State College (WSC) and Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) to offer a practical nursing degree program in rural areas. BSC offers nursing education at the hospitals in the North Dakota communities of Ashley, Garrison, Harvey, Hazen, and, coming in 2019, Hettinger.
 
The DNP at BSC is a two-step program for students that begins with an 11-month practical nursing certificate and continues on to a nine-month Associate of Applied Science degree in nursing. Instruction includes on-site lab and clinical classes, simulations and video networking at the hospitals in each community. This approach allows for on-the-job training as well as a cost effective approach to nursing education. Graduates are job ready in a short amount of time, can smoothly transition on to a bachelor’s in nursing at several state universities through online coursework and work as a nurse in their community while attending school.
 
Among the four DNP colleges, BSC leads in the RN exam pass rate. DCB received a 94.4 percent, LRSC a 93.94 percent and WSC a 78.95 percent. The overall North Dakota state pass rate, including 4-year universities, is 93.94 percent and the national pass rate is 87.8 percent.